Windmill



Dec. 1l, 1934.

A. A. GRAY 1,983,980

WINDMILL Filed 0G11. 16, 1933 A. INVENTOR. BY

A ATTORNEY.

Patented Dec. 11, 1934 WINDMILL Adam A. Gray, Duluth, Minnguas'signor of' one- 'l i V i t v half to W. P. Soneson, Duluth, Minn. v

Application October 16, 19.33, Serial No, 693,764:

7 Claims.

This invention relates to windmills; the principal object being to provide a more practical and efficient mill of this character, free from the necessity of automatic or other adjustment in relation to the direction in which the wind is blowing.

Referring to the accompanying drawing forming part of this application and wherein like reference characters indicate like parts:

Figure 1 is an elevation, partly in section, of a fragmental portion of the windmill embodying the invention and showing the upper end or head portion of a tower upon which the windmill is mounted.

Figure 2 is a section on ure 1, looking downward, and showing mental portion of the Windmill.

The head of the tower is represented as being cylindrical in form and vertically elongated as illustrated at l, the same being surrounded at its base with the platform 2 and protecting railing 3, approach to which may be had by means of the ladder structure 4. Axially of the head 1 is mounted the hollow power shaft or sleeve 5, there being suitable bearings provided for same at either end of the head of the tower, while upon and fixed to the upper end of the shaft which extends beyond the head 1 is a disc 6 to which is bolted as at 7 a larger star shaped spider 8. Centrally upon each projection of the spider 8 and radially in respect to the shaft is mounted one of the vane shafts 9, the bearings for said shaft being indicated at 10 and 11. These shafts 9 extend any desired or practical distance beyond the point of each projection and carry fixed thereto the sheet metal vanes 12 which normally depend from their respective shafts. At the opposite or inner end of each shaft is formed a crank like projection 13 which when the vane is in its depending active position is disposed at right angles thereto, or substantiaily horizontally, and each bearing against its respective finger 14 upon the lower head or collar 15 of the reel like drum 16, which is fixed to the upper end of the pintle shaft 17 reciprocably mounted within the sleeve shaft 5. The upper head 18 of the drum 16 simply acts as a cover over the radially grouped crank ends of the vane shafts. shaft 17 extends through and beyond the shaft 5 and is rotatable with same as by the slot 19 in the shaft 5 and a pin 20 fixed to the shaft 17 and extending within said slot; the slot being elongated to permit of free vertical movement of the shaft 17. This movement of the shaft is the line 22, Figa frag- The lower end of the pintle STATES PATENT accomplished in-anyidesired manner as by a n lever 21 fulcrumed as at `22r and engaged beneath the .lower tapered end 'ofthe' shaft k17. so that it may be raisedv at any time desired'by depressing of the free end of thelevers21 which may be lockedvin .any desired manner-' When the` shaft 17 is raised, and 'thereby raising-the lower head Vor collar 1'5, vthe fingers 14will lift the crankends 13 and rotate the'various A'vane shafts, throwingrthe vanes .Lupi finto lhorizontal position as shown in Figure 2 where they will not be engaged by the wind and the mill consequently stopped.

As a stop for the vanes when in their uppermost horizontal position, I have shown a bar 23 as being disposed diagonally beneath each shaft 9 fixed to the spider 8 and extending outwardly into the path of and above each vane so that the latter may be brought up firmly against these stops when assuming an inactive position.

When in the position illustrated in Figure 1 of the drawingv and actively engaged by the wind, it is apparent that the vanes cannot be forced beyond their vertical depending position by virtue of the crank arms 13 engaging the disc and being unable to force it downwardly. Then when each vane is swung into the opposite side of the mill where the wind catches on the opposite side of the vane they will freely swing upwardly with the crank arms 13 free from engagement with the disc 15, only to drop again by gravity when the vane swings into the wind.

As a means for transmitting power from the shaft 5 I have illustrated a pulley 24 as being engaged by a belt 25, or any other form of power transmission may be employed as circumstances may require.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. A windmill comprising a vertical shaft, a collar fixed to the upper end of said shaft, a sleeve upon said shaft, a disc upon said sleeve, directly beneath said collar and extending beyond same, bearings carried by said disc, vane bearing shafts pivotally supported within said bearings and contacting said collar, and means whereby movement of said collar will rotate said vane bearing shafts.

2. A windmill comprising a vertically reciprocable shaft, a collar fixed to the upper end of said shaft, a hollow power shaft about said reciprocable shaft, horizontally disposed radially extending vane carrying shafts xed to the upper end of said power shaft and engaging said collar, and means whereby vertical movement of said reciprocable shaft and collar will rotate all of the vanes out of active position.

3. A Windmill of the type described comprising a vertically'disposed control shaft having a disc-like collar fixed to the upper end thereof, radially disposed vane carrying shafts rotatably mounted adjacent to and engaging said collar, a hollow power transmitting shaft surrounding the control shaft, a support for the vane shafts carried by said power shaft, and means whereby the control shaft may be operated manually to affect all of the vanes simultaneously.

4. Aiwindmi'll of the type described comprising an upright support, a hollow power shaft carried in said support, arspi'der like disc carried upon the upper end of the power shaft, vane shafts carried' radially upon said disc, vanes normally depending from the free ends of said vane shafts and fixed thereto, a control shaft carried by Aand reciprocable within the power shaft, means carried upon the upper end of the control shaft in constant engagement with the innermost ends of the vane shafts whereby to render the vanes inactive manually when desire-d, and means Vwhereby the vanes may feather consecutively when operating.

5. A windmill comprising a vertically disposed rotatableand reciprocable shaft, a collar fixed to the upper end of said shaft, a sleeve keyed upon said shaft but permitting reciprocation of the shaft therein, a disc upon the upper end of said sleeve, bearings upon said disc, radially disposed vane bearing shafts pivotallysupported within said bearings and contacting said collar, and means wherebylmovement of said collar will rotate said vane bearing shafts.

6. A windmill comprising a vertical shaft; a collar xed to the upper end of said shaft, a sleeve upon said shaft, a lateral disc upon said sleeve, bearings upon said disc, vane bearing shafts pivotally supported within said bearings andcontacting said collar in a manner to prevent rotation in one direction, and means whereby movement of said collar will rotate said vane bearing shafts in the other direction.

7. A windmill vcomprising a support, a hollow vertically extending power shaft within said support, a disc xed to the upper end of said shaft, bearings fixed to said disc, horizontally disposed vane carrying shafts extending radially from and carried by said bearings, a reciprocal control shaft carried axially within the power shaft and rotatable therewith, means whereby raising of the control shaft will rotate the vane shafts to inactive position, and means adapted to cause said vanes to automatically become inactive during a portion of their revolution.

ADAM A. GRAY. 

